A distributed virtual switch (DVS) is a software abstraction of an aggregate switch that may include multiple virtual switches within computer servers (e.g., hosts). The distributed virtual switch is managed in a centralized management plane through a management application, such as a data center management application. The management application exposes an interface to manage the configuration of the distributed virtual switch. Also, the management plane maintains the latest configuration of the distributed virtual switch in the management plane's memory or back-end database.
The latest configuration is embedded in the management plane. If the back-end database or memory is lost or corrupted and the management plane is restarted, there is no way to restore the configuration for the distributed virtual switch. Rather, the distributed virtual switch will have to be re-created from scratch. Additionally, only the latest version of the configuration is stored in the management plane. Thus, if misconfiguration with the distributed virtual switch or port group occur, an administrator cannot revert to any previous configuration or determine any changes across multiple configuration changes that were previously made.